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Apple's War on Android — In her black robe and strand of white pearls, Lucy Koh projects the serious, deliberate demeanor befitting a U.S. District Court judge. The Harvard-educated former federal prosecutor has served on the California state bench and as a partner in a Silicon Valley law firm …

Star-struck Japan PM befriends Facebook's Zuckerberg — (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda frequently entertains dignitaries from all over the world, but he was a touch star-struck on Thursday when he hosted a young billionaire with a whiff of celebrity: Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores — Selling consumer electronics isn't as easy as it used to be for Best Buy. The big-box retailer is closing 50 stores and compensating employees based on customer service after its fiscal fourth-quarter sales fell short of expectations.

Google adds real-time traffic estimates to Maps directions — Google has started rolling out traffic estimates for Maps users in selected areas. When you search for driving directions in places with the feature, you'll see an ideal or average time at the top, followed by a time marked “in current traffic.”

Google's New ‘Account Activity’ Is a Sham — When it comes to privacy, Google wants to be the good guy . Too bad that's not enough. — Google Account Activity is Google's fairly transparent attempt to differentiate itself from Facebook by being open about what it knows about you.

Spotify Keeps the Free Music Party Going in the U.S. — Good news for American Spotify users who don't want to pay for their music: The streaming service will continue to let them listen to anything they want, without restrictions, for a while longer. — The free-music party was supposed …

Some Thoughts On Online Privacy — There are signs that Washington is gearing up to do something big in the area of online privacy. The FTC put out a report earlier this week and the White House called for a “privacy bill of rights” last month. Both have asked Congress to act on this issue.